Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 25 May 2022

Published 25 May 2022

This correspondence was withdrawn on 27 December 2023

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. Read the latest editions of ESFA Update for the latest news and information.

Applies to England

1. Reminder: the coronavirus (COVID-19) 16 to 19 tuition form 2022 to 2023 claim form

The coronavirus (COVID-19) 16 to 19 tuition fund 2022 to 2023 form is live.
The deadline for your submission is 11:59pm on Friday, 27 May 2022.

We’ve published guidance to help you access and complete the form.

You can read more at in the coronavirus (COVID-19) 16 to 19 tuition fund guidance 2022 to 2023.

2. Reminder: schools financial value standard (SFVS) assurance statement for 2021 to 2022

Your local authority’s blank SFVS assurance statement for 2021 to 2022 has been uploaded to Document exchange.

The deadline for local authorities to upload the signed assurance statement to Document exchange is 31 May 2022.

Further guidance on completing the assurance statement is available.

3. Reminder: year-end forecast funding claim for 2021 to 2022

The year-end forecast funding claim window will open at 9am on Friday 10 June 2022. Please submit your year-end funding claim by 4pm on Wednesday 15 June 2022.The claim form will be available on Submit Learner Data.

You will need to submit a claim if you receive funds through these contracts:

• grant funded – ESFA Adult Education Budget (AEB) (Adult Skills, Community Learning, 19 to 24 Traineeships and NSF Level 3 Adult Offer (for learners aged 23 or under))
• grant funded – ESFA NSF Level 3 Adult Offer (for learners aged 24 or over)
• grant funded - Advanced Learner Loans Bursary (ALLB)
• 16 to 19 education

For more information, please see the 2021 to 2022 funding claims guidance. The user guide to help you complete the form is available on GOV.UK..

Once you have submitted your claim you will also be able to view it on the Manage your education and skills funding.

4. Information: 2022 to 2023 schools supplementary grant school level allocations and conditions of grant for local authorities

We have published the schools supplementary grant (SSG) school-level allocations and conditions of grant. This follows the announcement of an extra £1.2 billion allocated to mainstream schools and academies to provide support for the costs of the Health and Social Care Levy and wider costs.

We intend to include the SSG in the core schools budget allocation from financial year 2023 to 2024.

Local authorities will receive their payment in May 2022, to cover April 2022 to August 2022 and in October 2022, to cover September 2022 to March 2023.

5. Information: advanced learner loans funding and performance management rules version 2 2022 to 2023

We have published version 2 of the ESFA advanced learner loans funding and performance management rules 2022 to 2023.

The main change from version 1, published in March 2022, is the inclusion of the performance management rules for 2022 to 2023.

Following feedback, we have moved the first performance point forward from October to September.

The rules apply to all providers of education and training holding a loan facility condition and loans bursary fund agreement with ESFA.

6. Information: local authority high needs funding: 2022 to 2023 operational guide survey

We’d like to gather user feedback on the content and format of the current high needs funding: 2022 to 2023 operational guide. We’ll use feedback received from the survey to inform and shape future publications of the guide.

You can access the survey and submit your responses by 27 June 2022. Please forward to all schools in your local authority and note that this survey is optional.

The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email at

CRM.QUERIES@education.gov.uk.

Thank you in advance for your participation and contributions.

7. Information: changes to the Schools Financial Benchmarking front page

We have been exploring ways to improve the front page of the Schools Financial Benchmarking site to ensure that users can more quickly and easily access parts of the site that are useful to them.

Now, after searching for your school’s front page you will also find a ‘Quick Comparison’ and your school’s ‘Self Assessment Dashboard’ on the very first page you visit. Additionally, we’ve added a ‘Next Steps’ section to help Schools Business Professionals, and others, access additional resources that will help them have an impact in their school.

If users wish to provide feedback, or apply to take part in user testing on new developments (such as a planned Trust Dashboard feature) please do email us at school.resourcemanagement@education.gov.uk.

8. Information: safeguarding workshop for RPA members

As part of our risk management support, the Department for Education (DfE) and Willis Towers Watson are hosting a webinar on safeguarding. This workshop will focus on:

• child protection in schools and guidance on how to keep the children in your care safe
• equipping you with the knowledge and skills you need to recognise and respond to possible abuse and identify your responsibilities for keeping children safe

Please select the best date for more information and to register:

• 16 June 2022: 10:00am to midday

• 30 June 2022: 10:00am to midday

9. Information: Regularity Mock Trial session for RPA members

DfE and Willis Towers Watson have developed a bespoke training seminar, ‘The Regulatory Mock Trial’.

The seminar has been designed to assist governors, trustees, directors and members of Senior Leadership Teams to understand the challenges they face in implementing compliant health and safety management systems, enhance the prospects of avoiding enforcement action and improve the school’s defensive capabilities where a prosecution is pursued. This mock trial footage was taken from a previous seminar.

Reserve your place on the mock trial training seminar on 14 June 9:00am to midday. Places are limited and will be allocated on first come basis.

10. Information: phase 3 Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund

The Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund provides grants to boost decarbonisation skills and unlock decarbonisation in the public sector.

The Application Portal for Phase 3 LCSF will open on Wednesday 15 June 2022 at 2pm for all eligible public sector bodies to apply. Salix Finance will be holding several webinars to help you develop a good heat decarbonisation plan.

If you have any further questions or would like to discuss your application, please contact Salix’s dedicated support team at Phase3LCSFgrants@salixfinance.co.uk.

11. Information: join these webinars on approved frameworks and see how you could save money for your school

DfE is hosting webinars on how using our approved frameworks could help your school get value for money.

If you are responsible for buying goods and services for your schools, check out the range of informative webinars that could help you save time and money.

All sessions are free, use these Eventbrite links to join the Schools Commercial Team and take the opportunity to ask providers any questions you may have:

• YPO buildings in use overview – 14 June
• YPO buildings in use catering specific – 14 June
• RPA information session – 15 June
• ESPO catering – 16 June

Follow our ‘Buying for Schools’ LinkedIn page to learn more about how we can support your school to buy goods and services.

12. Information: call for volunteers for improving school estate management support

DfE are looking for volunteers to form a working group to help improve school estate management and develop more support to the sector. We are looking for volunteers with a range of experiences – including school business professionals , estate professionals, and those who are less experienced or finding it challenging to implement strategic estate management in their schools.

Joining the working group will give you the opportunity to inform and test the products and services we’re developing, including updates to good estate management for schools (GEMS), which we committed to in the recently published sustainability and climate change strategy. We want to hear from you to understand the challenges you face, and how we can best support schools, trusts and other responsible bodies to manage their estates well.

We hope to host meetings virtually every quarter, while there may also be the opportunity to form smaller project-specific working groups, depending on your interests, experience and time. If you are interested or would like further information, please contact Maz Lees in the Improving Estate Management team.

13. Information: free period products available to schools and colleges

State maintained schools or colleges in your local authority, can order free period products online now from the supplier, phs, up until Friday 8 July. The scheme will then recommence in September 2022.

Find out more on GOV.UK.

14. Information: delivery of Jubilee commemorative book

We emailed eligible schools on 29 April to make them aware that all Reception to Year 6-age children in state funded schools across the country will receive a free commemorative book that celebrates the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year and achievements of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth over the last 70 years.

The following information is for those schools which have not yet received the book:

The books will be distributed by Yodel before 11 July.

Please note that:

• you will receive your books in a number of parcel deliveries, which may be made on different days.
• every school will receive an email notification to this email address providing an estimated delivery date and tracking number for your parcels.
• you will be able use the email to change your delivery schedule and delay your delivery for up to 16 days.
• if you do not receive a notification from Yodel before 4 July, please email jubileebookdelivery@dk.com.
• if you require extra or replacement books for any damage, please fill in this form.

Included in each box are bookmarks for you to distribute with the books promoting the Summer Reading Challenge, to encourage children across the country to discover the joy of reading this summer.